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Silver Surfer by Joie Grey

Moataz Gwaily
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Silver Surfer by Joie Grey

With a quirky soundscape, a playful rhythm, and witty lyrics, JOIE GREY is here with a follow-up to his viral hit UNTITLED. And it’s exciting for so many reasons.

JOIE GREY is based in Atlanta, Georgia. He’s a creative songwriter and producer with a very distinct sonic and visual style. SILVER SURFER was produced to the same ridiculously high standards as his latest, UNTITLED. With a sound that’s speckless and groomed to perfection, the vibes are quite a bit different from those of UNTITLED.

While his previous single was an airy, driving groove with succulent, thick pads, SILVER SURFER is a playful, quirky little thing. The sound is dominated by a processed droplets synth sound and a furry layer of fuzzed-out sub-bass. JOIE’s delivery is thankfully just as catchy as before and his flows are engaging and varied just enough for the vocal part to sound cohesive, and not repetitive. A class act.

SILVER SURFER hits a very different crowd. It’s a banger that’ll set the dance floor ablaze. And it’s very refreshing that the quality of JOIE GREY’s output appears to be consistent. We’ll come to rely on him for more of their fantastically produced and thought-out gems.

Cada Vez by Camila Andrew

Moataz Gwaily
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Cada Vez by Camila Andrew

The Colombian songstress Camila Andrew’s latest single puts her firmly on the table as a fierce competitor.

Camila is a Colombian/American singer/songwriter with top-notch, delicate sensibilities. She’s been at her career since 2017, gently causing ripples in her local Bogota musical circles, and steadily honing her craft, developing her sound and her personality as a performer and as a songwriter, and the payoff is finally here!

Taking the shape of a sensual, chill, contemporary RnB banger, Cada Vez borrows a page out of the Telepatia book. Deftly blending a foreign language into an English song is bound to make the foreign one sound sexy and exotic, it only helps that Spanish is actually sexy. The song is a stunning slow burner. Downtempo and chill, the bulk of the sound is delivered via heavenly keyboard chords. The sound is washed out and airy and the instrumentation is sparse. The beat is also minimal and is more a percussive part than an actual groove. The star of the show is definitely Camila’s voice. Deep and commandeering, her croons are authoritative, distinctive, and compelling.

A simple, lustful progression with a limited roster of instruments and ample production that simply puts things where they belong was enough for Camila Andrews to build upon them a sensational Latin RnB song that’s dazzling and exciting. A beautiful display of vocal style and prowess, Cada Vez is a gorgeous listen.

Album: In Decadence and Disarray by Parjam Parsi

Norhan El Sebaie
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Album: In Decadence and Disarray by Parjam Parsi

Stark, Surprising, impassioned, and honest. Parjam Parsi might truly be one of a kind.

 In Decadence and Disarray is a musically rich adventure into the artist’s notions, as well as into his mind. Parjam Parsi is an Armenian pianist and producer who managed to achieve total and absolute radio silence. This album is sixteen years old, and after decades of evading publicity and social and streaming services, he’s finally given in and decided to give us this gorgeous gem of instrumental piano work from a sadly obscure part of the world. The only bit of information that Parjam Parsi provides is that this album has a story, which concerns his mother, her world, and her relationship with him. With no further details given, and no text other than titles to the pieces, we’re left free to connect any dots our minds may create.

 This album goes through two distinct styles. The first one is that of motif-based pieces. Those which have a particular motif, or riff, which repeats on top of a dynamic layer of left-hand chords that heave and swell or choose to remain stagnant whenever a song dictates. The second one is much more freeform; fueled by the emotive, fluid, right-hand lines that characterize compositions from the Romantic Era. Parjam Parsi approaches both styles with daft nimbleness. Unaccompanied, the pieces see him alone in the soft, radiant limelight in which he resides and is totally in his element.

 From the highlights is One October Day. A stunning starter, it goes under the first of the styles we discussed. The motif is a mildly syncopated line, long, goes under multiple chords, and is packed with natural dissonance that keeps the ears hooked throughout. In the Cross of Your Arm has a playful melodic line set on a base of melancholic chords and gracefully jubilant rhythms. Curious, yet dark. The Water and The Blood are very classically inspired. Dreamy and airy, the motif is sparse with a lot of space to give the phrases breathing space. The chords are bright and introduce a ray of hope after the last song’s tragic tones. The Entwined Bodies fall under the second stylistic category. The first one to do so, it was pleasantly surprising to experience Parjam Parsi as an emotive and expressive player, having readily proven himself as a steady-handed performer. The high-reaching lines are the first instance of the multiple Chopin-recalling instances that are about to happen. A gentle layer of airy pads gives the whole piece a very mid-air kind of vibe. Together with the ever-moving, unsettled, and fluently played lines, this piece sent me flying.

 May Wear My Silence is a tragic, minimal palette cleanser. Simple, approachable, and easy to grasp. The titular piece is another melancholic and cyclic offering that’s hypnotic. Dazzling syncopation, taken care of by the left-hand department, gives the short and sad motif a far more foreboding shape halfway through the runtime of the piece. Butterfly Tears is most decidedly inspired by the stylistic musings of Romantic Era composers. A vividly expressive piece of gorgeous piano that takes many guises, as it navigates the waters of dark and light, striving to achieve a balance between both, and succeeding. The closing number, titled All Souls, delicately wraps things up as it drapes the gentle harmonic progression with warm and emotive melodic playing. A fitting closer.

 Parjam Parsi is an artist in the truest sense of the word. He composes, and when he’s not doing so, he’s indulging in stunning visual art. I suggest you check his Instagram, where there are glimpses of the kind of art he does. It’s beautiful. What’s even more beautiful, to me, is the fact that this story/album has been finished in 2006. In my mind, it has sat somewhere in the artist’s personal collections, with no release intentions. Maybe copies have been given to a few friends and family members, and maybe some art connoisseurs around the country. In my mind, Parjam Parsi made this to honor his mother, in life or death, with no plans for gains. It was made for her alone, and by him alone. And to me, that’s far more substantial than any number of streams or lucrative gains. It’s highbrow art, for everybody.

 



Close by Wulfie

Moataz Gwaily
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Close by Wulfie

Wulfie’s latest single is full of bold and personal statements that seem to define his creative approach toward making music, and it helps that the sound is fresh and original, and totally compelling.

 From Christchurch, New Zealand. In his own words, Wulfie has struggled with feeling like a failure when it came to his music career for a long time, having been measuring his success on all the wrong stats and numbers. Close sees him singing about grief, acceptance, and rediscovery, on a musical base that’s also a fresh start for him. Close is an ethereal synth-wave stunner. With a minimal, flowing composition, and delicate, simple melodies, the song is entirely easy on the ears. The synth sounds are rich and lush with pulsating bass and satisfying, haunting stabs drenched in reverb. The beats are nuanced and quirky; they go against what’s conventional and are out of the box. Wulfie’s singing is very dreamy. Reaching high, we catch a glimpse of his rich, heartfelt falsetto.

 Close is a beautiful song with a deeply meaningful and personal message. I’m really glad for Wulfie for having discovered where his heart lies when it comes to his music, and I wish this clarity for any musician passionate about their art. Well done Wulfie. 


Everything’s Better by Martin Reynolds

Hazem Mahani
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Everything’s Better by Martin Reynolds

With uplifting melodies and shiny sound, singer/songwriter Martin Reynolds carefully crafted his new single “Everything’s Better” with amazing guests Sheena Vultaggio (Piano/Backing vocals) and Peter Voronov (Violin/ Viola). “Everything’s Better” is a sweet positive tune about overcoming the odds and moving toward a brighter mindset in the most perfect acoustic setting, let me tell you more about it.

“Everything’s Better” has a colorful sound with beautiful easygoing fluid melodies making it the mellow, feel-good anthem we all need in these troubled times. Martin Reynolds’ clean polished acoustic sound with his soft mellow vocals created a warm welcoming intro to “Everything’s Better”, starting from there, Reynolds managed to create a smooth dynamic structure that kept progressing into a brighter sound with lovely vocal harmonies, subtle piano, and emotional violins all in really good layering and engaging mood, this one is going to have some really cool singalong moments with the fans.

“Everything’s Better” is a laidback lovely tune with good from-the-heart writing and beautiful melodies, it has a polished production with the most perfect warm sound that gave the music much depth and feeling showing Martin Reynolds’ good eye for details. Will definitely be keeping an eye on Martin Reynolds’ releases, and I suggest you do too. Cheers!

Spells of Silence by Mt Fog

Moataz Gwaily
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Spells of Silence by Mt Fog

Art is anything but restrictions, layer it and arrange it as your artistic eyes and ear see fit. This is a statement I found floating around my mental space during my repeated listens of Mt Fog’s latest full-length release, titled Spells of Silence. Hailing from Seattle, Mt Fog is an eclectic songstress, whose impeccable taste and delicate sensibilities allow her music to carry a fragile, yet distinctly powerful personality, one that she describes as “Forest Folktronica”.

Spells of Silence, set to release mid-October, is already attracting accolades to its 2 released singles, with ‘Behind A Silent Door being named KEXP song of the day. It’s easy to see where the praise is coming from, to the whole record, and to this song in particular. We had the pleasure to listen to the whole album and are here to report.

Spells of Silence is a distinctively artsy album. If you feel an urge to classify it as pop, folk, or electronica, you must incorporate the ‘Art’ badge within your classification, even though I strongly recommend not doing that, as this collection of bizarre songs seems to shapeshift with each listen. The focus of this album, as it became obvious to me, is a particular haunting aesthetic, that’s achieved in the first seconds of this album’s runtime and is then masterfully maintained throughout the songs. This aesthetic is, to my mind, fairy-like, bewitching, flattering, and floral, full of mythical mystique and visions of furry creatures that dissipate as soon as they meet the eyes. A beautiful landscape of sound that was welcoming, adventurous, and jubilant, but never dangerous.

The lead single starts the album. Behind A Silent Door gives everything up a little too soon. It will definitely be an attraction to ears but will build momentum that won’t be matched by anything that comes later on. Perhaps the plan was to send the listeners flying via an intense dose of this album’s charming vibes and then maintain this flight. While they were successful in carrying that out, I couldn’t stop myself from feeling an urge to return to this song’s adrenaline-pumping synth leads, playful sub-bass nuances, or charm-filled singing. Waiting Through These Years comes next. A brooding, dark art piece that carves the album’s aesthetic into stone. Frenetic and exciting layers of vocals and elegant sub-bass work alongside buzzing synths to create a mysterious earthy feel. Beautiful on its own, but placing it after the stunning opener might be doing it a disservice.

Sewn Together is when we first get acquainted with Mt. Fog’s beautiful operatic singing voice. Having been in the 3rd or 4th rows in the previous cuts, it strongly grabs the 1st row in this one, demanding attention. Boasting a great dynamic range, the almost whispered lows seamlessly morph into soaring falsetto lines in a gorgeous display of singing prowess. I Am The Sea, You Are The Cloud tries to recapture the riffy charm of the lead single but through a very different sonic palette. More open, expansive, and random, the distinct chord progression is layered upon countless layers of airy effects and attractive vocals, creating a pretty painting of open seas and puffy clouds in a bright sky.

Vow of Silence starts a trio of mid-album, non-descript songs. Beautiful, but with nothing standing for them to set them apart. With liquid gold synth leads and a melody that repeats, Vow of Silence makes use of its hypnotic atmosphere to bring forth its message. Melancholic and lonesome, with quirky layers of vocals, its beauty is easy to get sucked into. I’m The Lake is an artistic experiment that doesn’t lack musical quality. Maybe sitting as the least entertaining song on the record for me, with its stale beat that seems to fade in and out at inconvenient times, and the dissonance-lades vocal part that makes this song one of the least accessible. We are now at the farthest point from the immediacy and fun of the starting number. ‘Ingot In The Dark is the dark side of ‘Behind A Silent Door’. Slow, sensual, syrupy, and powerful, the sub-bass finally returns to being an interesting addition to the mix, instead of just sitting there as a given. The Things That Left Us continues the streak with a striking vocal part, a characterful drumbeat, a unique singing melody, and complimenting synths.

Not a perfect album, by any means. But whatever this album lacks in any randomized aspects is more than made up for by its beautiful poetry, characterful voice, one-of-a-kind arrangements, and by having a delightfully quirky and unique vibe that stands on its own and paints this release with a solid, confident palette or striking colors, at once distracting, unusual, yet harmonious and provocative. 

Ilanga EP by Aytiwan

Norhan El Sebaie
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Ilanga EP by Aytiwan

The Belgian producer Nico P just released his latest EP under his new identity “Aytiwan”, a project created to produce afro house sounds only, unlike his usual melodic house productions. It’s a 5-track album with variations of the same single “Ilanga”, released on the artist’s new label Deep in Your Soul. Aside from being a producer, Nico is also the label manager of the Belgian label DHB. 

“Ilanga” is a deep house track with an energized beat, dynamic sound, and hype like no other. Aytiwan chose to collaborate with Nes Mburu on vocals who helped him reach his musical vision and gave him the right emotional expressions needed for the song. The first 30 secs of the original mix introduce the beat and its base, letting it sink in and get in your head and body. Then the vocals start with the main lyrical and melodic theme that repeats throughout the song with the words: “nikupende, pende pende” which translates to “I love you; I love you” in Swahili, a language primarily found in Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique, among others. The song has an overall colorful ambiance, that is highlighted through the percussive line, electronic sounds, and well-blended vocals. 

Each of the remixes is different in duration, with the radio edit the shortest and lightest of them all. The 2nd remix is by Enoo Napa; a south African artist who released two variations and remixes of the same song. He intensifies the main beat and bass line, making it darker and more powerful. Later, he lightens the mood by adding softer synths, and piano chords. Whereas in the alternative remix, he chose to change the main rhythm and percussive line while keeping an element or two from the original mix. 

The 4th and last remix is by the Belgian producer Klaudius. He chose to take a different approach; not only did he change the main beat, but also the entire bass line and electronic beat. He focused on the piano as the main percussive instrument, which is later followed by a lighter beat giving a more dance effect. He shifts the song into a more approachable, less intense version making it convenient for a beach party or a more chill ambiance. 

The EP is like a fun riddle, you listen to each remix and you try to spot the differences between them, I’d recommend you listen to all of them well before you decide on your favorite version because there’s simply one for every taste. 

 

Lie Just To Lie by Silja Rós

Viola Karmy
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Lie Just To Lie by Silja Rós

Ethereal vocals, soulful, solid delivery, touchingly demonstrating vulnerability lyricism, and retro yet innovative Soul sound are all to be presented in the talented artist Silja Rós’s latest single, “Lie Just lie.”

As I heard “Lie just to lie” for the first time, I felt the presence of Amy Winehouse’s intense songwriting and performance. The song features poignant emotions that are adroitly delivered through each element to penetrate the frailest part of your soul. And the thing is, you don’t have to find the song relatable to be touched! Silja Rós’s sincere, sentimental vocal execution will put you in the desired mental and emotional state.

In a streamlined manner, the vocal and the harmonies mash together, giving the most blessing, warm, and softly melancholic soundscape. Silja Rós possesses a vocal range that can simultaneously send shivers down your spine, goosebumps up your head, make your stomach flutter, warm your heart, and stun your spirit.

The musical composition draws the ideal atmospheric balance between the emotional complexity of the heart loving a toxic one addictively and the mind urging it to close the door and let go. The instruments brilliantly convey the sentiments in the lyrics and offer a flawless bridge between R&B, Soul, and Jazz, with a Contemporary Pop taste. There’s a bluey ambiance suggested as the chords progress and rhythms overlap tenderly, yet it leaves the vocal stand out and helps to highlight it even more.

There’s a music video for the song that compliments its authentic vibe with some cozy footage, well-chosen warm colors, and the skilled, luring act of Silja Rós. It definitely adds depth to the song and makes the sonic blend of vintage and modern-day visualized.

Listening to “Lie just to lie” means you need to make room in your playlist for one more remarkable female artist that pours her heart out through a divine vocal line.



Silhouette by Avaraj

Viola Karmy
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Silhouette by Avaraj

Since the beginning of time, people have yearned for freedom. They detest restrictions. But what if what’s trapping you and holding you hostage is your own mind? What if the only thing between you and breaking free is yourself? The pop singer, Avaraj, gets what this feels like and poignantly captures the wistful sensations in her single, “Silhouette.”

Just like a hollow, empty “Silhouette,” that’s what an introvert who is not comfortable being one feels like. An introverted person would find it hard to communicate and express what they’re truly feeling, and here enters the Atlanta-based artist Avaraj with her single “Silhouette”, which can be considered as a touching anthem and an I’ve-had-enough voice for whoever can’t shout it.

The single starts with a dreamy intro that is soon followed by a mellow melody and an uplifting beat, along with melancholic, soulful vocals. Although it has a hard-hitting theme, it’s balanced as the rhythm eases things a bit and offers sincere, salty lyrics with some spark.

The composition isn’t looking to steal the light away from the sensitive topic itself, as it’s simple yet effective. The solo part feels like it’s a backing vocal that’s conveying the single’s sensations. The melodic vocals and expressive lyrics are what stand out the most, as they together work intensely to strike a chord for whoever can relate, and raise awareness for whoever has never understood.

If you’re an introvert, Avaraj is sending you a warm hug and reassuring you that you’re not alone. And if you’re an extrovert, this is your guide to knowing what your introverted family member, friend, or partner feels like. And whether you are this or that, you’ll like the genuine “Silhouette” below.



AWAY by FM Experiment

Viola Karmy
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AWAY by FM Experiment

Sometimes words fail to express what we feel, and we find ourselves speechless. Music, on the other hand, always has its ways of speaking through us, conveying every complex, conflicted emotion we have within its heartfelt melody. FM Experiment’s “Away” will show you how music can speak to you and through you.

“Away” is an ethereal instrumental piece by the atmospheric jazz sextet FM Experiment, based in Los Angeles. With six talented musicians gathered on loving jazz, playing various instruments with passion, and performing their hearts out, this track connects with one in a way that goes beyond words. 

Soulful piano notes open the track, and it gets smoothly joined by gentle percussion, giving a melancholic yet peaceful feel. One by one, the instruments overlap, offering a bunch of emotions at once. The piano is taking over the lead, and as its enchanting act progresses, it sounds like a rhythmic story is being told, as if an emotional person is telling it, and it sounds both wistful and dreamy. How each element harmonizes with the other gives the impression of negative and positive sensations fighting and hope to try to break free in between.

The beauty of “Away” is that it works on delivering how it feels to be obligatorily away from the people you love, as it happened during the pandemic lockdown, and somehow, it also builds a positive atmosphere that attempts to take the pain away.



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